016 ♐ Video ♐ 17 company men, out of which only 12 will make it back again

[codename_duchess]

[This is a very slight change of pace from normal. Archer is up, be-suited, and holding a scotch on the rocks in his hand with the bottle tucked under his arm. The unusual part is that he's not in his room or the pub, he's outside the chapel. The very unusual part is that he's not drunk.]

Chances are no matter who you are on board, and no matter how shitty the place you came from is, someone died trying to make it better. Maybe lots of people. Maybe some of you died trying to help your country or your cause. And maybe people just don't talk about it because they don't want to think about people dying so they could have something good. Which is shitty.

So.

[Archer holds the glass out at arm's length and overturns it onto the ground, somberly.]

Pour one out for the guys who aren't here and remember the people who died. Here's to the vets.

Comments

[this_corrosion]

Oh, whatever. I died saving the world and no one gives a shit about me.

[codename_duchess]

Um, I do, dumbass.

[this_corrosion]

Well. Well yeah.

Thanks.

[codename_duchess]

Is your warden still not letting you drink? I'll pour you one.

[this_corrosion]

Nah, I can't. He'll take away my pub privileges he said.

[Private]

Ignore that. I'll take you up on it. Your cabin?

[codename_duchess]

Ugh. Asshole.

[Private]

Three minutes. Ice bucket's full.

Private -> spam?

[this_corrosion]

You're a hero.

[notsoneedy]

Wait, is it Veteran's Day? Really? I haven't been keeping track.

[codename_duchess]

Memorial Day. Same thing though.

[notsoneedy]

Oh. Right, that one.

Where I grew up it just usually meant a day off from school and stuff.

[codename_duchess]

It's that too.

When I was a kid I used to ask my mother if we could visit my dad's grave on Memorial Day.

[notsoneedy]

Um. So did you?

[codename_duchess]

She always said no. Then told me five years ago that he actually wasn't my father.

[notsoneedy]

Well that's pretty fucked up of her. Why did she do a thing like that? I mean, was she trying to raise you with daddy issues?

[codename_duchess]

Because she doesn't know who my father is. Apparently. And I don't know, I guess so!

[notsoneedy]

Yikes.

No offense, pal, but I think it sounds like your mom's got some problems.

[codename_duchess]

You think?

[notsoneedy]

Well, duh. Everyone's family is carrying some kind of baggage, but no dad and a lying, morally loose mom is kinda a rough draw. Plus you're here...so obviously you didn't turn out a-okay.

If you were born a girl, I'd bet you'd have turned out a total slut.

[codename_duchess]

Thank you, Dr. Freud. Do I get to look at Rorschach tests next session?

[notsoneedy]

Oh, sure. And then I can make you hold the feelings ball and talk about your feelings.

[Her voice abruptly turned to angry mocking snideness; guess who doesn't like any form of psychiatric bullshit very much?]

[codename_duchess]

Wait, that's a thing? Feelings balls?

[notsoneedy]

Yeah. It's like a stupid floofy koosh they make you hold, and when it's your turn you're supposed to focus on what you're feeling and let it all out without thinking about it, or "getting lost in analysis and self-denial".

Like a lot of techniques used by the so-called experts, it's utter crap. All touchy feely bullshit, and no one listens to you when you're actually trying to say something important!

[codename_duchess]

And they think that works? Touchy-feely feelings balls. Just. Phrasing, oh my God.

[notsoneedy]

I think being a shrink means you have to undergo training in saying shit like that with a straight face.

I think it's probably most of the training, really.

[codename_duchess]

That, or just some experience in mind-numbing drugs. ...Sorry. A couple of my "coworkers," and I use that in the loosest sense possible, are literally insane.

[notsoneedy]

And they're also shrinks? Shrinks who do drugs?

[codename_duchess]

Nnnnno. Well, maybe Krieger. The rest just do drugs.

[notsoneedy]

Where do you work?

[codename_duchess]

ISIS. The International Secret Intelligence Service.

[notsoneedy]

I've never heard of them.

[codename_duchess]

Well yeah, we're a freaking spy agency.

[notsoneedy]

If you're a spy agency should you really be going around telling people about it? I mean even here.

[codename_duchess]

Who the hell is going to leak information here?

[notsoneedy]

Are any of us from like, the same world originally? You don't know!

[codename_duchess]

Yes I do, idiot! And none of the people here are from my world!

[notsoneedy]

You've crosschecked every single person here? Really? How?

[imfollowinghim]

[So, Bucky knows what today is, and while Steve probably would say something... Bucky's not Steve. And he was sort of not sure if anyone else gave a shit, so this is actually. Nice.]

Thanks. For saying that.

[codename_duchess]

Well, no one else did. For some reason.

[imfollowinghim]

Well, [He can think of a lot of reasons, really, but the one he winds up saying kind of comes out before he really realizes he's actually going to say it.] Captain America's not here.

[codename_duchess]

Um... so? Captain America's not a lot of places.

[imfollowinghim]

Forget it. [It had kind of been a joke at his own expense, nbd.]

[codename_duchess]

Wait, what?

[imfollowinghim]

If he was here, he'd've remembered and said something. I kinda get the impression this sort of thing's pretty far off everyone else's radar.

[codename_duchess]

Well, Captain America's not the only soldier. We've got a lot of them here and even more where we all came from.

...it seemed weird no one else said anything about it.

[imfollowinghim]

[Bucky... really doesn't think it is. It's easy to be forgetful, accidentally ungrateful, when you don't have it right in front of your face. God knows he's never expected thanks for what he's done.]

Well, thanks. Again.

[codename_duchess]

Yeah.

Thanks.